


No Time Like The Present

by Mad_Muse_Musings



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Night Shift (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Getting Together, M/M, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-29
Updated: 2014-08-04
Packaged: 2018-02-06 16:18:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1864308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mad_Muse_Musings/pseuds/Mad_Muse_Musings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve is feeling restless after Sam and he return to DC, their mission all but a failure so he decides to take a trip across the country.</p><p>Steve did not plan on meeting Drew, the army medic, surgeon in training, in Texas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Heads up that posting will be slow going on this more than likely, I just needed to get it started so it would leave me alone for the time being.

Steve sat with Sam in the small D.C. apartment, months after they had given up on finding Bucky, at least until Bucky wanted to be found.

“I think I’m going to take a vacation.” Steve said, they were both watching the baseball game on T.V. in the sense that if anyone asked they would have been able to tell you the score, but who hit what for how many bases was a mystery.

“Oh yea?” Sam asked, the beer he was drinking all but dangling from his hand while they sat on the couch.

“I think I want to visit some military bases. I went into the ice and there was a war on, and I came out and they told me we won, but they managed to forget to tell me that there was another war. Your war. I want to thank the men and women. I know it’s not much, but I want them to know.” Steve explained, tilting his head back to look at the ceiling.

“I can come with.” Sam offered, but Steve simply shook his head.

“I don’t want this to be a big thing, I just want to thank the people who deserve it. The people who don’t go get help from someone like you.” Steve explained before he got off the couch.

“Shit, man you’re leaving now?” Sam asked, watching Steve move around and grab the few items he really cared about.

“No time like the present.” Steve responded.

* * *

 

**2 Months Later – Near San Antonio, Texas**

Drew was on base, another show down between Army and Marines happening in the cage while friends cheered them on, which meant Krista for him, when Steve passed through the gates, shield strapped to his back.

“Well shit, look at this.” The guy from the Marines that he was supposed to fight said, pausing mid wrap.

“I bet we are shipping out in like a week and they sent him to give us the bad news, figure we would take it better.” Drew said with a scoff before returning to putting on the rest of his fighting gear before slipping in a mouth guard and into the cage to bounce and loosen his muscles.

Steve didn’t make a big deal of anything, simply pulling off the shield and leather jacket, leaving him in dark blue tank top and jeans, before taking a place next to Krista to watch the fight.

“Who you rooting for?” He asked, watching the two men in the cage size each other up.

“Drew.” Krista responded without any further information.

“Which one is Drew?” Steve asked.

“Army.” Krista supplied, and thankfully they were wearing shirts with their branch on them.

Steve watched Drew, tall and well-muscled, his nose crooked just slightly from one too many broken noses, of which Steve was sure he was about to get another, and a strategist, trying to plan everything three steps before it happened. And that became crystal clear when the two men actually started to fight. Drew was like watching water over rocks in a river, smooth but slowly wearing his opponent down.

“Fuck ‘im up, Drew!” Krista shouted, banging on the side of the cage, and Steve watched just the smallest of an upturn appear on Drew’s lips before he did indeed, fuck Marine boy up.

Once Drew was declared the winner, both men left the cage bleeding from small superficial cuts, and thankfully with no messed up hands this time or broken eye sockets. Drew was ripping his gloves and tape off when Krista ran to hug him, wrapping her arms around him and kissing his cheek.

“You totally kicked his ass.” Krista said proudly, and Steve couldn’t help but feel like he was intruding on a private moment between them.

Drew rolled his eyes. “I kick their ass every time and yet here we are, almost a year after you saw the first match and you act surprised every time.” Drew shook his head before looking at Steve over her shoulder and straightening up and saluting, tape dangling from his hands where he hadn’t finished removing it. “Sir.”

“At ease.” Steve said before sticking his hand out to shake Drew’s. “Hell of a match there. Doing the Army proud.”

“I try, sir.” Drew responded before Krista punched his shoulder. “Shit, what did I do?”

“Captain America is standing in front of you, and you are acting like a complete ass.” She answered before she stood on her tip toes and whispered something into his ear which Steve forced himself not to hear, it was private after all, but the blush that bloomed on Drew’s face sure as hell had him curious.

Steve smiled. “Really, it’s okay. I’ve just been base hopping, taking you men for your service. I know it’s thankless at times and sometimes that thanks is the difference between some not so great feelings and being okay when you lay down on the damn marshmallows we call beds now, at night.” Steve said as a way to dismissing himself before he turned around and escaped to the mess hall to grab some food. And not think about how charming Drew looked. Especially when it was so clear that Krista was his girl in every way.

That night, in the motel room just off base, Steve flipped his phone back and forth, trying to debate who to call. Should he call Natasha, she was constantly trying to set him up with women, maybe if he could just tell her she had been looking in the wrong place she would stop and maybe help him figure out how to quash the crush that was quickly growing on Drew. The one that grew three times its size when he found out Drew was an army medic and was doing his residency at the local hospital. Or should he call Sam, who he was pretty sure had been dating Riley before the man died in combat, and talk it out with him, with the added bonus of Sam being a counselor.  

His fingers made the decision for him, and he was leaning back against the headboard with the phone tucked between his ear and shoulder waiting.

“What do you want, Rogers?” Natasha ground out, her breath echoing heavily at the end.

“I need your advice on something.” Steve started.

“You’re not dying. The world isn’t trying to come to an end again.” She confirmed.

“Right, just need advice.”

Steve heard the muffled sounds on the other end of two people moving around on the bed and Natasha’s murmured, “Sorry, Mel, I got to take this.” There was more ruffling before Natasha was clear on the other end of the line. “Alright, you have five minutes.”

Steve took a deep breath, thanked the past year of waking up and finding a mirror and standing in front of it and repeating the lines that were about to come out of his mouth to himself. “I’m gay.”

Natasha snorted. “I know that. Going to get to something worth my time tonight?”

“Wait, you know?” Steve asked, his mouth opening and closing, wishing Natasha was right in front of him so they could see each other.

“Of course I know! I’m not an idiot, Rogers!”

“Then why, with all the women, and the set ups and the – ugh, you are an awful wench of a woman!” Steve word vomited back at her.

“Because I knew way before you knew, or were okay with it, or whatever. And wench of a woman is new, I think I am going to treasure that one. You have three minutes.”

“I think I have a crush on a straight guy.” Steve murmured.

“Oh, is that so, I think you earned an extra minute.” Natasha responded, and he could practically hear the smirk on her lips from the new information.

Steve took a deep breath again before he started. “His name is Drew. He’s an army medic, and he was on base today when I stopped by. They were having a cage match, Army vs. Marines and he, man, Tasha you should have seen him. He’s working at the hospital in town, and… And I am pretty sure I met his girlfriend when I was watching the match.”

“Wow, you got it bad.” Natasha responded and he could hear quite murmuring on her end before she continued. “What makes you so sure she is his girlfriend? They could be brother and sister, or have some fucked relationship like me and Clint.”

“I don’t know. It just felt…”

“Ah.” Natasha breathed out. “So you have no real reason to think they are dating, you just feel like they are, and rather than risk it, you are going to work on this feeling you have and pine over this Drew. Did I get it?”

Steve sighed. “I should have called Sam.”

He heard a dull thump that was probably Natasha’s head against a wall. “Look, Steve, if he’s gay, she might be a beard. If he’s not, he’s probably going to take a swing at you. Hell, he might take a swing at you if he is gay, if he is deep enough into the sparkly closet to need a beard.” Natasha grunted, before she continued and Steve assumed Mel hit her. “Anyway, you can take a few punches, just, you know, do it somewhere not on base. You said he works at the hospital, right? Fake an injury or something.”

“Oh yea, someone is totally going to buy that Captain America needs to go to a hospital.”

“I seem to recall Sam sitting by your bedside for a week after your dip in the river. If it makes you feel better, go out and actually injure yourself.” Natasha said before hanging up, not giving him time to respond.

Steve huffed and threw the phone on the bed between his legs. _Yea, sure, brilliant plan, Natasha. Go get injured so he has to take care of me and I can talk to him._ Steve huffed, beating his pillow into shape to get comfortable and try to sleep.


	2. All In All, There Have Been Worse Ideas

All in all, Steve had to admit it wasn’t an awful plan.

He hadn’t even injured himself on purpose. Honest.

Captain America is not immune to fire or little girls crying in the front yard while her house burns down, because her kitty is still in the house. Steve had ran into the house and rescued the cat, earning himself some nasty claw marks to go with the burns on his arm and leg. But the cat was fine and the girl was happy, and that was what was important.

And he had an excuse to see Drew. That was strictly a bonus.

When Steve walked into San Antonio Memorial, it was just after 7:30 pm, and they were in the middle of a shift change, which meant he was waiting at least fifteen minutes before someone put him in a room. It wasn’t a big deal honestly since he had waited almost an hour to even go to the hospital for the burns, thinking the serum would take care of it, but the pain was just intensifying.

Steve was starting to get fidgety in the waiting room when a nurse finally led him back to a room and promised a doctor would see him as soon as they got all his vitals in. Krista and Drew were in the room before everything was even entered into the system.

“Captain Rogers.” Drew greeted him, without looking up from the tablet with Steve’s chart on it. “It says here you have second degree burns, potentially third degree, on your arm and leg. Care to explain?”

“I was rescuing a little girl’s cat from a house fire.” Steve explained.

“You’re kidding.” Krista said as she shifted Steve’s limbs for them to get a better look at the burns.

“No, ma’am.” Steve said, hissing at the end as her gloved finger traced around the outside of the burn.

“The super solider serum isn’t taking care of this?” Drew asked, sitting on a rolling stool and looking at Steve’s leg.

“No. I waited for it to kick in, but the pain has only gotten worse so I got a bit worried.” Steve answered right before Drew started really checking out the tissue that had been burned.

Drew watched as very small sections of the burns quickly went through the healing process and leaned back. “Well, it looks like the pain might be from the serum working. You are healing very small patches at a time at an accelerated rate, and burns are some of the worst wounds.”

Krista winced and patted Steve’s shoulder. “Good luck.”

“So, I’m okay?” Steve asked.

“It would appear so, but if it would make you feel better we can admit you for the night and keep an eye on you.” Drew said.

“Could you? Just to make sure?” Steve requested, wincing as another wave of pain radiated through his body.

“Absolutely. Either Krista or myself will be around a few times to check out how you’re doing.” Drew said before leaving Steve, and forcing Krista to trail behind him.

“You look like him.” Krista said, as they walked past the nurse’s station to their next patient.

“I do not.” Drew responded.

“You do, too. And he is totally here as an excuse to see you.”

Drew turned around and eyed her. “What gives you that idea?”

“He’s Captain fucking America, Drew. There is no way that he actually thought he needed to see a doctor for those burns.” Krista said with a huff before she pulled the curtain back so they could see their next patient. She completely missed the look Drew had, complete and utter shock.

Krista ended up checking on Steve the first two times that night, applying some extra cream to the burns even though he didn’t strictly need it. On time number two, she narrowed her eyes at him for a while before shaking her head and leaving.

The final time he was checked on, Drew came in with a tray of food in each hand. “One for you, and one for me.” Drew explained, putting it down on the table for Steve and taking a seat beside him.

“You haven’t eaten?” Steve asked, carefully pulling back the aluminum foil lid on the bowl in front of him, his mouth watering when his eyes rested on a chicken and mashed potato bowl with corn and gravy.

Drew shook his head. “Been too busy stitching people up and reassuring mothers that their children were not going to die.”

“I remember all the nice doctors who tried to reassure my mom that I wasn’t going to die, before the serum happened. It’s a shame she didn’t live long enough to see me in this body, it would have made her feel so much better, to know I wasn’t going to be constantly trying to manage all my ailments.” Steve said between bites of food, watching as Drew picked at his food with all the determination of an army man getting the food his body required but not really savoring it.

Drew nodded though. “I bet that was hard for her.”

“She wanted better for me, she just wasn’t around to see me get it.” Steve said with a sad smile. A moment later he winced as a spike of pain shot through his body as it continued to repair itself. The cream Krista had been rubbing on it had been helping with the pain, thankfully.

After a few minutes of silence, filled only by the sounds of a running hospital and the two of them eating, Steve sighed. “Krista didn’t wait to eat dinner with you tonight?”

Drew looked up puzzled. “Why would Krista wait for me to have dinner?”

Steve blushed, suddenly thinking he read the situation all wrong. He had thought Drew was hiding out with him and eating because Krista, who he was pretty sure was Drew’s girl, had eaten without him. “Well, she’s your girl, right?”

Drew had to swallow the drink of water he had just taken so that he could laugh, and it was a very near thing that water didn’t come shooting out of his nose. “Oh god, no. Krista and me!” Drew actually snorted, shaking his head.

Steve blushed and looked down. “Oh.”

“Shit. I didn’t mean to be an ass about it. I just have forgotten that not everyone knows I am gay. I came out about a year ago, to everyone here anyway. My boyfriend at the time was in a crash on his way home, and he had an awful crush injury to his leg. And I wasn’t out, but here I was trying to treat him, and be there for him, without anyone knowing. It was a mess. One of his squad had asked Krista out, but he died that night, and she verbally kicked my ass when my ex was getting ready to go into surgery to amputate and I couldn’t man up enough to be there for him.” Drew explained with a tight smile.

“That’s a lot of heavy stuff.” Steve said, biting his lower lip.

Drew nodded his agreement. “It’s what drove us apart.” He shrugged after, as if to say, what are you going to do about it.

“So why eat dinner with me?” Steve asked.

“Krista said something, and I was curious, so here I am.” Drew said being purposefully vague.

“What did she say?”

“Not goin’ to tell you that.”

“Well can you tell me your final decision on whatever you were curious about?”

“She was right. Krista is always right.” Drew said with a smirk getting up and taking Steve’s tray with him.

“She sounds a lot like Natasha!” Steve called after him.

Drew continued to smirk, and reminded himself he would have to tell Krista that Steve thought she was like the Black Widow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to get up. If you don't read my other works, I wanted to let you know, I am in the process of relocating from Ohio to Texas and as such my life is kind of in mass chaos at the moment. I do hope I gave you something good here though.


End file.
